When planning a trip, most travelers start by using Google to search for hotel reviews, travel reviews, and other important travel details. In just a few clicks, they can find the best deals, see user-generated content, and make smart choices while saving money.
Online reviews help people decide if they should book a tour or activity. Reading what others say about a tour company can be really helpful. But, be careful—there are fake reviews on sites like Trip Advisor that can trick travelers. These sites work hard to find and remove fake reviews to keep users’ trust. The more satisfied customers talk about your business, the more others will trust it too.
It’s also important to reach the right audience. When travelers look for tours and attractions online, they often check travel review websites to get a better idea of what to expect. Getting your business on these sites can quickly boost your traffic and attract more customers.
So in this article, we’re talking about things to know on tour review websites:
- Why should tour operators ask their guests to leave reviews on review websites?
- Which are the best travel review websites should you focus on?
- How can you ask guests to leave reviews?
- When is it appropriate to ask your guests to leave reviews?
Let’s start with the “why”.
Why Invest in Travel Review Sites
Marketing is one of the most important aspects of your tour business as a tour operator. As much as possible, you should appear at the top of search results- what you do and why you are the best choice need to be known to potential customers.
Leveraging travel review websites is an excellent way to reach new customers and show them what you’re all about. Thousands of users visit these sites every month, and they have strong domain ratings, placing them at the top of search results. The perfect way to showcase your tours and attractions business!
Reading multiple reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor helps potential customers gauge the overall sentiment of a place, making informed decisions based on a consensus among reviews. But why invest in the best travel review websites specifically? Here's why.
1. They're popular
With millions of active users each month, these travel review sites are extremely popular due to the significance of user-generated reviews. This makes them a great place to direct visitors to your tours and attractions business.
"93% of users have made buying decisions based upon an online review"- Report by the Podium
2. They're credible and unbiased
Compared to other review sites, people trust travel review sites the most. Since more people assume that if a website specializes in travel reviews, it has a team of experts who know what they’re talking about, and the posted reviews are genuine and unbiased opinions from customers.
3. They generate leads
Travel review sites not only drive traffic to your site, but they also generate leads. People often want to know more about your tours and attractions when they see real tourist reviews, including the occasional negative review, and user-generated content about them. This gives you the chance to convert them into customers and earn more bookings.
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How to Start Using Review Sites for Your Tours
A travel review site can be a powerful marketing tool to earn more bookings if you invest in them and leverage them correctly. Some of these are:
1. Choose the most relevant travel review sites for your business from a variety of different travel review sites.
2. Create a profile on these websites. Keep all of your information up-to-date and optimize your website for search engines.
3. Post compelling content on these sites.
4. Engage with users. Respond to their comments and questions. This way, you are building a sense of community around your business.
5. Track your progress and improve. When you browse tour review sites, you can learn more about guest post reviews and tastes and get tips for your next trip offerings.
What are the Best Travel Review Sites?
When it comes to choosing the best travel review platforms for tour operators, there are many different factors to consider. These include traffic volume, credibility, SEO, and user engagement potential.
TripAdvisor, Google Reviews, Yelp, TrustPilot, and Facebook are some of the top travel review sites for tour operators. The sites have high traffic volumes and engage a large number of active users. Their large number of reviews makes them credible and trustworthy for potential customers.
The good news is that you don’t have to be everywhere. You can start by selecting those that meet the criteria. Again, traffic volume, credibility, SEO, and user engagement potential.
This way, you will become more strategic. So you don’t have to stretch yourself too thin and instead focus on growing quality exposure.
Check out our top picks. These are TripAdvisor, TrustPilot, and Google Reviews.
TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel website as the business claims, operating on a website and a mobile app. Guests can search for, compare, and book hotels, vacation packages, restaurants, and tour companies on the site. Travelers use TripAdvisor to get detailed reviews, while tour businesses use it to collect traveler reviews, which can significantly influence their rankings and credibility.
According to Statista, as of August 2022, TripAdvisor ranked no. 2 among the "Most visited travel and tourism websites worldwide" with 186.5 million website visits.
TripAdvisor shows your business’s website, address, phone number, email, and a short description of what you do.
With a star rating system and a percentage of guests recommending the tour, TripAdvisor helps its visitors search better. Definitely a smart way to build brand loyalty and engage users.
Can you write a review on TripAdvisor without an account?
Users can create anonymous accounts on TripAdvisor. You can find their detailed guide here.
Why do we recommend TripAdvisor?
- Traffic volume: reported to have 186.5 million visits as of August 2022
- Credibility: in the business for more than two decades since 2000
- SEO: 93 domain rating
- User engagement potential: allows guests to find and compare suppliers and tour businesses, leave a review with a star rating system, and a travel site that works like social media for tour operators
Add a Listing Here: Get listed among TripAdvisor places here
Pricing and Plans: TripAdvisor charges free for basic listings but charges fees per booking. Click here for more information.
TrustPilot
Trustpilot is an online marketplace for businesses to connect with customers. Founded in 2007, this review website helps businesses build trust with their customers through any avenue.
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For tour operators, Trustpilot categorizes the business under Travel & Vacation > Activities & Tours.
A five-star rating system is also applied by Trustpilot to each business. By doing this, potential customers can judge the quality of your tours and activities at a glance.
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Trustpilot also applies a five-star rating system for each business. By reading multiple reviews, potential customers can gauge the overall sentiment and judge the quality of your tours and activities at a glance.
"85 percent of respondents stated that the overall average star rating of a business was one of the most important considerations when judging a local business based on reviews"- U.S. consumers most important aspects of online business reviews 2021
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Your company name is displayed along with a “Verified” badge. With this feature, users can see whether the company has claimed their Trustpilot profile or not.
A reviewer can also be marked as “Verified”. In this way, it verifies that the reviewer has actual experience with the reviewed business. These features make Trustpilot a win-win situation for visitors and businesses.
Why do we recommend Trustpilot?
- Traffic volume: an average of 51 million monthly visits globally
- Credibility: in the business for more than a decade since 2007
- SEO: 94 domain rating
- User engagement potential: allows you to send review invites after every tour, reply to guests' reviews, and ask for add-on features for more insights.
How to Sign Up: Free Sign Up Link for Businesses Here
Pricing and Plans: See Paid Pricing & Plans Here
Google Reviews
Google Reviews are displayed next to your business profile in Maps and Search.
Google Reviews are fantastic! Not only do they provide useful information for potential customers, but they also help your business stand out.
When potential customers search for your tour or activity business, they’ll not only see your Business Profile, but they’ll also see Google Reviews from your past customers. The integration of Google Maps enhances this visibility by allowing travelers to access valuable insights directly through the map interface.
Any guest can leave reviews who has booked a tour or activity with your business, so it’s a savvy idea to proactively ask for guest reviews. You can also respond to reviews, which is a great way to build customer rapport.
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So how can you get started with collecting reviews?
The first step is to claim your Google My Business listing.
Google has provided a clear guide on how to do this: How to add or claim your Business Profile on Google
Or if you prefer video tutorials, here is a short video by Google to help you get started:
After claiming your listing, ask your satisfied customers to leave a review. A few kind words can go a long way in helping your business stand out from the competition.
Why do we recommend Google Reviews?
The traffic, credibility, domain authority, and brand exposure of Google Reviews set it apart from other online travel site platforms.
A recent survey shows that 81% of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses, and that includes tours and activities.
Tour operators of all sizes will benefit from Google Reviews, and it's free too!
More Customer Review Sites for Your Tour Business
- Business Facebook Account lets guests leave Facebook recommendations and rate you with a five-star rating system. The site also has a tool that sends review requests, like Google Reviews.
- Online Travel Agency Listings and Marketplace also allow visitors to leave ratings and comments about their experience.
- Yelp Reviews is another review site for businesses. Like Google, listing on Yelp helps attract customers and lets you respond to both positive reviews and negative reviews. Many consumers are likely to consult Google over any other review site before visiting a business.
Thinking of partnering with an OTA? Here’s our guide to counting the costs: Advantages Of Online Travel Agency For Tour Operators
Tips on How to Ask Guests to Leave a Review
Requesting reviews can be a challenge. User-generated reviews are crucial as they build trust among users and enhance the decision-making process. Be professional, not pushy, and don’t be the person who constantly asks for reviews. The key is to strike a balance between being helpful and being polite.
So how do you go about asking guests to leave reviews?
Here are some quick tips to help you collect reviews:
- Mention it during your tour
- Try to do it as soon after their tour experience as possible
- Make it easy for them by providing a link to your listing page or a specific review site
- Offer a discount or freebie for those who leave one (for example, a rewards system that they can use for their next trip)
Be sure to thank your customers and let them know that you would appreciate a review. Getting those precious five-star reviews doesn’t have to be difficult with a personal touch.
Do you know? TicketingHub makes it easy for tour operators to display customer reviews on their travel websites with the help of Elfsight integration. Read our blog here: What This Jaw-Dropping Truth Really Tells Us About Customer Reviews (Using ElfSight Reviews)
Final Takeaways
When choosing the best travel review site to focus on, start by looking at each site's traffic, credibility, and how well it performs in search engines. Online reviews are a key part of helping travelers find real feedback and recommendations.
Google Reviews, TrustPilot, and TripAdvisor are strong in all these areas, making them great choices for getting quality reviews that can boost your search rankings and visibility.
We also highlighted how important review sites are and shared easy tips for asking guests to leave reviews.
So, which travel review site do you use for your tours? We'd love to hear your thoughts—share them in the comments!
